Legal Bases/ Membership

Q:What is the legal basis for your agency (non-profit organization, for-profit organization, foundation, association etc.)?A: The National Accreditation Agency (NAA) is a non-commercial, federal state budgetary institution, which doesn’t have making profit as the main goal of its activity. The founder of the Agency shall be the Russian Federation. The powers and authorities of the founder of the Agency shall be exercised by the Federal Service of Supervision in Education and Science (Rosobrnadzor).

Q: Who are the members of your agency?A: N/A

Services Provided

Q: Is evaluation/accreditation by your agency a national requirement? What procedures are mandatory – if any and what are chosen voluntarily/additionally?A: State accreditation is a national requirement (Federal Law of 29.12.2012 No273 -FL “On Education in the Russian Federation”). It consists of the following procedures: the analysis results of the data submitted by an HEI; the external review by an expert panel; decision making procedure made by the Accreditation commission and approved by Rosobrnadzor; follow up procedures. These procedures are mandatory.

Q: Is the agency involved in programme or institutional evaluation/accreditation or both? What are the consequences of evaluation/accreditation outcomes?A: NAA is involved in programme accreditation. If a positive decision on state accreditation is made a HEI receives a state accreditation certificate issued for a period of 6 years. The certificate confirms the right of a HEI for issuing its graduates state documents on the appropriate level of education and make a claim for receiving budgetary funds for students’ training.

Q: Please describe the structure and the activity periods of the decision-making body and state who delegates/appoints its members.A: The Accreditation Board of Rosobrnadzor–a public and state body that reviews the information and analytical materials of the expert panels’ performance, HEIs’ materials for accreditation and makes a decision on state accreditation of HEIs. The Accreditation Board is composed of representatives of Rosobrnadzor, heads of educational institutions, representatives of employers, students, public organizations. The Accreditation Board meets six times a year.

With due consideration of the Accreditation Board conclusion Rosobrnadzor makes a decision (issues an order) on state accreditation or refusal of state accreditation of the educational activities on the educational programs being accredited in relation to every level of professional education in each integrated group of professions, specialties and fields of training (IGS). The HEI receives a state accreditation certificate with the application, indicating a list of accredited IGS and educational levels. The certificate is valid for 6 years. If any drawbacks are revealed in the work of a HEI the latter may be deprived of state accreditation for separate levels of professional education and integrated groups of professions, specialties and fields of training. In case of the refusal of state accreditation a HEI is entitled to apply for a recurrent accreditation procedure not earlier than a year after its accreditation was cancelled.

International

Q:Can HEIs in your country choose international services from EQAR listed agencies?A: The Status of EQAR is not defined in Russia. HEIs can choose international services from EQAR listed agencies
or from other international agencies. The outcomes of international accreditation might be considered during state accreditation. Currently the legal framework for recognizing the international accreditation results conducted within public and/or professional public accreditation during state accreditation is being formed.

Q:Please mention the international links of your agency and especially list the international organizations your agency is a member in.A: International activity is one of the areas of NAA’ activity. In accordance with its Statutes NAA participates in the activities aimed at implementationof the issues set out in the Bologna Declaration in the sphere of education quality assurance for promoting the improvement of evaluation and quality assurance of education in the Russian Federation.

NAA is a full member of the following international organizations involved in quality
assurance of higher education:

International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE) since 2001;

European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA) since 2006;

Legal Bases/ Membership

Q:What is the legal basis for your agency (non-profit organization, for-profit organization, foundation, association etc.)?A: The National Centre for Public Accreditation (NCPA) is as an autonomous non-profit organization with the purpose of conducting programme accreditation and providing an expert judgment on the quality of study programmes offered by Russian educational institutions.

Q: Who are the members of your agency?A: N/A

Services Provided

Q: Is evaluation/accreditation by your agency a national requirement? What procedures are mandatory – if any and what are chosen voluntarily/additionally?A: The procedure of public-professional accreditation carried out by NCPA is performed on a voluntary basis and implies the evaluation of only the best educational programmes of higher education.

Q: Is the agency involved in programme or institutional evaluation/accreditation or both? What are the consequences of evaluation/accreditation outcomes?A: NCPA is involved in the procedures of programme accreditation. In case of positive accreditation decision, a programme (a cluster of programmes) under review is granted the Certificate of Public Accreditation, and is included in the register of accredited programmes.

Q: Please describe the structure and the activity periods of the decision-making body and state who delegates/appoints its members.A: Accreditation decisions are made by the National Accreditation Board, a collective public professional body which considers materials and decides on accreditation. National Accreditation Board includes 25 members: representatives of legislative bodies of the Russian Federation, Rectors and Presidents of the Russian leading HEIs,
prominent scholars, representatives of professional and student associations.

International

Q:Can HEIs in your country choose international services from EQAR listed agencies?A: HEIs have a right to choose international services from EQAR listed agencies, but the results are not taken into account by the state.

Q:Please mention the international links of your agency and especially list the international organizations your agency is a member in.A: NCPA is a member of international networks of quality assurance agencies:

a full member of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE);

a full member of the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA);

a full member of the Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (CEENQA);

a full member of the Asia-Pacific Quality Network (APQN);

a full member of the Observatory on Academic Ranking and Excellence (IREG).

Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance and Career Development (AKKORK)

Legal Bases/ Membership

Q:What is the legal basis for your agency (non-profit organization, for-profit organization, foundation, association etc.)?A: AKKORK was founded in 2005 as an autonomous non-profit organization.

Q: Who are the members of your agency?A: N/A

Services Provided

Q: Is evaluation/accreditation by your agency a national requirement? What procedures are mandatory – if any and what are chosen voluntarily/additionally?A: The evaluation/ accreditation by our agency is not the requirement in Russia and is chosen voluntarily.

Q: Is the agency involved in programme or institutional evaluation/accreditation or both? What are the consequences of evaluation/accreditation outcomes?A: AKKORK offers to the HEIs both institutional and programme accreditation. As a result of evaluation/accreditation HEI receives recommendations on how to improve the “state of the art.” In case of accreditation HEI also receives in case of positive decision a certificate with period of validity maximum 6 years.

Q: Please describe the structure and the activity periods of the decision-making body and state who delegates/appoints its members.A: There are Advisory Council, Accreditation Council and International Accreditation Council in AKKORK structure. Advisory Council is responsible for the quality of the reviewers reports, both Accreditation Councils make decisions on the results of the procedures. The members of all the councils are proposed by the Director of AKKORK
and approved by the Supervisory Board of AKKORK responsible for AKKORK strategy.

International

Q:Can HEIs in your country choose international services from EQAR listed agencies?A: The HEIs can choose international services from EQAR listed agencies.

Q:Please mention the international links of your agency and especially list the international organizations your agency is a member in.A: AKKORK is seeking to ensure the best quality of its work that is corroborated by recognition of quality and activity conscientiousness of AKKORK by the leading international accreditation networks of quality assurance.
Today AKKORK is a member of the following international organizations and networks:

EQAR- European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education

ENQA- European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education

INQAAHE- International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education

APQN- Asia-Pacific Quality Network

CEENQA- Central and Eastern European Network of Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education

EAQA- Eurasian Quality Assurance Network

EQANIE- European Quality Assurance Network for Informatics Education

CHEA- CHEA International quality group of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation/
Also AKKORK has partnerships with FIBAA, ZeVA, Deva-AAC, TWAEA.

The Center for Professional Public Accreditation of Study Programs and Carrier Development – Agency of Employers and Students in the sphere of Agriculture (ARSA)